Old vs New
A lot of times we view architecture at face value. Does it look good? Does it function? Does it respond to its surroundings? But, architecture in Berlin involves more than that face value; it is completely intertwined with the history of the city. You cannot come to Berlin and just see buildings. The buildings tell a story. Berlin is faced with the ongoing question of how to address its history in its architecture. Since great percentages of the city was destroyed in the war, the questions become: do you tear down the ruins, do you build on top of the ruins, do you build a replica of the original, or do you move on from the past and create something new? These are tough questions that have been dealt with in a variety of ways within the city of Berlin. It has been an interesting journey discovering these different answers. The area that I find most interesting is how architects deal with connections between the old and new. How does one preserve the essence and meaning of the old structure while utilizing modern material and structural strategies in order to provide something for the future. There have been a few projects that we've seen in Berlin that are excellent examples of this contrast between old and new. Reichstag ''' Norman Foster The original dome was destroyed in a fire, and rather than replacing the dome with a replica of the old one, Norman Foster designed this steel and glass cupola that is inhabitable. This project is a perfect example of this connection between new and old. The dome makes reference to the original through form, but materially and functionally, it talks about the modern Germany and their new beginnings. '''Fire/Police Station Sauerbruch + Hutton This fire station made an interesting connection between old and new. It is more of an addition to the old rather than replacing the old. It is interesting to see how they dealt with materials here. The new addition is a reflective glass or plastic of some sort. It seems that the actual materials are quite opposite - light weight curtain wall versus heavy masonry, reflective and non-reflective. But, the material rhythm starts to suggest a "new brick" old brick condition. Kaiser Wilhelm Kirche This church, also have being bombed in the war, was "restored" in a different way. The old tower remains letting the destruction bare light in order to serve as a reminder of what happened. The new tower and chapel sit adjacent to the original. Like the Reichstag, the new tower pays homage to the old one in form. The material contrast here is more subtle. The new material, concrete and clay panels, resembles similar textures and colors, but it utilizes more modern building strategies. This project allows the visitor to remember and experience the original building while seeing how history took its course and now being able to move on to a future. St. Mary's Church, known in German as the Marienkirche, is a church in Berlin, Germany. The church is located on Karl-Liebkniche-Strasse (formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße) in central Berlin, near the Alexanderplatz. Its exact age is not known, but it was first mentioned in German chronicles in 1292. It is presumed to date from earlier in the 13th century. It was originally a Roman Catholic church, but has been a Lutheran Protestant church since the Protestant Reformation. Along with the Nikolaikirche, the Marienkirche is the oldest church in Berlin. The oldest parts of the church are made from granite, but most of it is built of granite, giving it its characteristic bright red appearance. This was deliberately copied in the construction of the nearby Berlin City Hall, the Rotes Rathaus. During World War II, it was heavily damaged by Allied bombs. After the war the church was in East Berlin, and in the 1950s it was restored by the East German authorities. The Fernsehturm (German for "television tower") is a television tower in the city centre of Berlin, Germany. Close to Alexanderplatz and part of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT), the tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) administration who intended it as a symbol of Berlin, which it remains today, as it is easily visible throughout the central and some suburban districts of Berlin. The Fernsehturm is the tallest structure in Germany.